BGB hands detained Indian national over to Panchagarh police

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) handed over an Indian national to Panchagarh police this evening, a day after he was detained by locals inside Bangladesh territory.

The detainee was identified as Dipankar Gop, 35, a tea garden worker from the Chawlhati-Taspara area of West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district, police said.

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“Process is underway to file a case against him. After the case is filed, he will be produced before a court and further action will be taken as per the court's order,” said Ashis Kumar Shil, inspector (investigation) of Panchagarh Police Station.

Yesterday, villagers detained Dipankar from a sugarcane field near Border Pillar 742/12 along the Birajot border in Panchagarh Sadar upazila after he allegedly crossed into Bangladesh.

Quoting locals, police said villagers detained Dipankar after members of India’s Border Security Force (BSF) allegedly took away a 78-year-old Bangladeshi man from the same area a few days earlier.

Locals alleged that BSF members took Tamiz Uddin, 78, of Satmera village in Panchagarh Sadar upazila to India on Wednesday morning after he crossed the border to retrieve a cow that had strayed into Indian territory.

His family later informed members of BGB's Amarkhana Border Outpost, but he had not been returned yet, they said.

A flag meeting between company commanders of BGB's Magurmari BOP and BSF's Chawlhati camp was held yesterday afternoon over the issue, but no solution was reached.

Lt Col Taifur Hasan Mahmud, commander of Nilphamari 56 BGB Battalion, said BSF members had detained a Bangladeshi national on suspicion of involvement in smuggling and had already handed him over to Indian police.